Clearer as used in combing machines or other machines for the treatment of textile fibers



Nov. 27, 1945. D. PIERREPONT 2,389,684

- CLEARE'R AS USED IN COMBING MACHINE OR OTHER MACHINES FOR THE TREATMENT OF TEXTILE FIBERS Filed 001;. 27, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Nov. 27, 1945.

2,389,684 INES D. PIERREPONT CLEARER AS USED IN COMBING MACHINE OR OTHER MACH FOR THE TREATMENT OF TEXTILE FIBERS Filed Oct. 27; 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1m QM ILL (PM 1;

Nov. 27, 1945.

D. PIERREPONT 2,389,684 CLEARER AS USED IN COMBING MACHINE OR OTHER MACHINES FOR THE TREATMENT OF TEXTILE FIBERS Filed 001:. 2'7, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 27, .1945. D. PIERREPONT CLEARER AS' USED IN COMBING MACHINE OR OTHER MACHINES FOR THE TREATMENT OF TEXTILE FIBERS Filed Oct. 27, 1943 "4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ffi ww/m ow, EE

Patented Nov. 27, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OLEARER AS USED IN OOMBING MACHINES OR OTHER MACHINES FOR THE TREAT- MEN T TEXTILE FIBERS Donald Pierrepont, Chadderton, Oldham, England 6 Claims.

This invention relates to clearers as used in combing machines or other machines for the treatment of textile fibers and more particularly to clearers of the type having both a bodily and a rotary movement such as used for clearing the waste fibers from the leather-covered top detaching rollers of combing machines for comb- 'ing textile fibers.

While such clearers are well known in the textile industry and particularly to those persons operating combing machines as being essential for keeping the leather-covered to-p detaching rollers of the combing machine clean and free from waste in order to get the best results from the treatment 'of the textile fibers passing through the combing machine, it may be expedient to mention that such clearers are usually in the form of cylindrical rollers of relatively small diameter mounted closely adjacent to the top "detaching rollers and usually covered with flannel. Each such clearer is carried by and between 2, pair of pivotally mounted arms adapted to give slight reciprocatory movement to the clearer, the clearer being rotated by contact with the associated top detaching roller in one direction of the reciprocatory movement and being restrained against rotation in the reverse direction of said reciprocatory movement. The clearer is usually furnished at at least one end with pawl-and-ratchet mechanism whereby the roller is allowed to turn in one direction and is held against turning movement in the other direction. A combing machine of the modern type usually comprises six heads, there being a clearer for each head. As the pawl trips over the teeth of the ratchet wheel a considerable number of times per minute, in some cases about .a hundred times a minute depending on the speed at which the combing machine is running, it will be readily understood that the action of the clearers is accompanied by considerable noise in addition to vibration and wear of the pawl-andratchet mechanism. A main disadvantage of clearers operated as described is that, as Wear takes place, the pawl engaging the ratchet wheel begins to lose its retaining power, and the clearer loses its enicien'cy until eventually it becomes a source of considerable trouble.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a revolving clearer which has none of the disadvantages inherent in clearers as above described, being silent in action, free from Vibration, always correctly adjusted, and in which the wear of moving parts is so slight as to be ne ligible.

A revolving clearer according to the invention includes a clearer roller element having .an axle element rotatably mounted in a pair of .coaxially pivoted bearer arms and loaded frictionally acting means, e. g, a dog, wedge, or the like, :on at least one of said arms adapted to impose .zfrictional resistance to rotary movement of said roller in one direction.

' The dog, wedge or the like is preferably springinfluenced and is engageable with a surface of revolution presented by a bowl or roller fastened on one end of the axle of the clearer roller.

The bearer arms are preferably each furnished with an extension to facilitate the lifting of the clearer away from the detaching roller and to minimize risk of injury to the hands of an operator.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a revolv-mg clearer constructed according to one form of the invention shown separate from the combing machine, the clearer roller being shown broken to shorten the figure. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing a revolving clearer as illustrated in Fig. 1 applied to a combingmachine, only so much of the combing machine being shown as is necessary for a clear understanding of the invention, and in which the clearer is shown in full lines fully withdrawn from its working position and in dotted lines tilted back in a position to facilitate cleaning; Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2, but withthe clearer-shown in its working position; Fig. 4 is a similar view to r Fig. .2 but showing the clearer partly withdrawn to illustrate a feature later to be described; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation and Fig. 6 a plan thereof, of one bearer arm of the clearer shown in Fig. 1 to which the invention in one of its forms is applied; Figs. 7 and '8 are similar fragmentary elevation and plan views of a modified form of the invention; Figs. 9 and 10; Figs. 11 and 12; Figs. 13 and 14; Figs. 15 and 16 and Figs. 17 and 18 are, respectively, similar elevations and plan views of further modified forms of the invention.

The same reference characters indicate correspending parts in the respective figures of the drawings, with the addition of distinguishing exponents in the figures illustrating the several modifications.

Referring to Fig. 1, 10 is a cylindrical clearer roller having a covering l I, of flannel or the like, and revolvably mounted in a pair of bearer arms adapted for pivotal attachment to the weighting lever of a combing machine. Each bearer arm is preferably in two parts, one part l2 being pivoted and the other part l3 being adjustable relatively to the other part l2 and being secured thereto by a set-screw M, the connecting end of said part l3 being accommodated in a rabbeted part |5 of the part l2. The part l3 of each bearer arm is formed at the end adjacent to the clearer roller with an extension or finger I6 whereby to prevent the clearer roller from dropping too low between the detaching rollers in certain positions of use. The part l2 of each bearer arm is formed near its fulcrum end with an extension I'l forming a handle whereby to facilitate lifting of the clearer by an operator and to minimize the risk of injury to the hands of the operator when lifting said clearer. The extensions I! may also serve as stops to limit movement of the bearer arms in one direction and to retain the clearer in suitable position for cleaning.

The clearer is mounted in known manner in the combing machine and a typical arrangement of clearer is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

For convenience in the description of the mounting of the clearer as illustrated in.Figs. 2, 3 and 4 reference will only be made to one side of the clearer but it is to be understood that the opposite end is similarl mounted.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, l8 and I9 are the top detaching rollers of a combing machine and and 2| the bottom detaching rollers.

The detaching roller I8 is rotatably mounted in bearings 22 in one end of a weighting lever 23. The lever 23 is mounted at its opposite end on a pin 24 in an extension 25 of a lever 26 secured on a shaft 21 journalled in the frame of the machine.

The lever 26 is in operative connection with an operating shaft, not shown, by means of a rod 28, shown broken.

The weighting lever 23 is weighted in known manner by means of a weight attached to the arm 29 (or by a spring).

Secured to the pivot pin 24 is a plate 30 adapted to move in unison with the weighting lever 23 and formed with an elongated slot 3| having lateral extensions 32', 32" at its opposite ends.

In its working position the clearer is pivotally mounted in the plate 30 on a pin 33 projecting from a lug on the bearer arm I2 of the clearer and resting in the lateral extension 32 of the slot.

In the working of the machine the weighting lever 23 is rocked about the pivot 21 to move the detaching roller I8 from the position shown in full lines in Fig.3 to the position shown in dotand-dash lines in the same figure to allow the top comb to drop into operative position. The clearer is reciprocated to and fro by the same movement of the said lever.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, an axle 34- of the clearer roller Ill projects through the part |3 of one of the bearer arms and is provided with a plain cylindrical roller or bowl 35 fixed thereon externally of the part l3. Fulcrumed on a stud 33 secured in said part I3 by lock-nuts 3'! is a dog 38 the free end of which is formed with a cam surface 39 and held in yielding contact with the bowl 35 by means of a light plate-spring 40 secured at one end by a set screw 4| to the part l3 and pressing at its other end on the upper surface of the dog 38.

The to-and-fro movement of the clearer continues at the speed of the combing machine, the

clearer roller Ill being alternately free to rotate and held against rotation as in known forms of clearers with the important difference that the bowl 35 and dog 38 work smoothly and silently and the clearer is free from vibration.

The bottom detaching rollers 20, 2| are rotated in unison intermittently and alternately forward and backward in the known manner of a Nasmith combing machine, and are usually of steel with serrated or fluted surfaces. The top detaching rollers l8, l3, which are usually leather covered,

rest on the respective bottom detaching rollers 20, 2| and are rotated by frictional contact therewith. The clearer roller l0 normally rests on the top detaching roller l8 and partakes of the translatory movement of the top detaching roller l8 relatively to the bottom detaching roller 23.

To draw the combed cotton fleece forward, the bottom detaching rollers 20, 2| are rotated in a forward or counterclockwise direction and during this rotation the clearer roller [0 resting on the top detaching roller I8 is prevented from turning in the direction of the arrow B, Fig. 1, by the wedging action of pawl 38 upon roller 35. As the detaching rollers 20, 2| are rotated in a reverse or clockwise direction, a backing off action is performed, whereby to draw the combed cotton fleece back, to make accessible combed fleece to which succeeding fleece is overlapped so that on the next forward movement of the detaching rollers both the first and succeeding fleece are drawn through the rollers.

During the backward movement of the detaching rollers the clearer roller l0 turns freely on the peripher of the top detaching roller |8 in the direction of the arrow A in Fig. l.

The amount of wear of the dog 38 and bowl 35 is infinitesimal, and any wear that does take place is compensated for throughout the time the clearer is working through the influence of the spring 40.

The working parts are of ample size to ensure long working life.

If desired, the dog may be located in a recess in the side of the bearer arm and be covered by a plate to exclude dust. Further, instead of acting on a bowl fast on the axle of the clearer roller, the dog may act directly on said axle, the bowl being dispensed with.

Such a construction is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 in which parts corresponding to those in Figs. 6 and 7 are indicated by the same reference characters distinguished by the addition of the exponent a. In this construction the part |3a of the bearer arm is formed with a recess |3b' providing housing for a dog 38a, Fig. 7, fulcrumed on a pin 36a and bearing by its camsurface 39a directly against the surface of the projecting axle 34a of the clearer roller Illa. A spring 42 secured at one end in the dog 38a presses at its free end against a wall of the re cess I31) whereby to hold the dog 38a in yielding contact with the axle 34a.

With to-and-fro movement of the clearer and alternate rotation in opposite directions of the detaching roller, the clearer roller Illa is alternately rotated and held against rotation as in the first described construction.

In order to minimize the ingress of dust or. fly to the dog 38a, a metal cover plate 43 is provided and held in position by screws 44, 45 and by a circular spring clip 46 embracing the projecting axle 34a and fitting in an annular groove therein.

Instead of using the cam surfaced dog 38 and plain bowl 35 as described and illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 there may be used a wedge-shaped dog adapted to co-act with a V-grooved brake drum on the axle of the clearer roller. Such an arrangement is shown in Figs, 9 and 10 in which parts corresponding to those shown in Figs. 1 to 6 are indicated by the same reference characters distinguished by the addition of the exponent b.

In this modified construction for the plain bowl there is substituted a V-grooved brake drum 4! fast on the axle 34b of the clearer roller Illb and the dog 38!) is formed with the cam part 391) of wedge-shape in cross-section as indicated at 3%, said wedge-shaped part being adapted in the reverse movement of the clear roller lflb to wedge in the groove of the drum 41 and prevent rotation of the roller in like manner to that described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6.

Instead of using a fulcrumed dog, the wedging action may be obtained by means of a steel ball or roller working under spring influence in a camshaped cavity in the bearer arms and adapted to engage a bowl on the axle of the clearer roller, or the axle itself. Such a device is shown in Figs. 11 to 14 inclusive.

In Figs. 11 and 12 in which parts corresponding to those in Figs. 1 to 6 are indicated by the same reference characters distinguished by the addition of the exponent c. The part l 30 of the bearer arm is shown formed with a hollow boss 48 in which is located a. steel ball 49 normally urged into contact with the surface of the bowl 350 by a spring 50. The pressure of the spring may be adjusted by means of a plug 5| screw-threaded into the boss 48 and also serving to retain said spring in said boss. In the forward movement of the clearer the roller or bowl 350 turns freely against the slight resistance offered by the spring-influenced ball 49. In the reverse direction of movement the bowl 350 presses the ball 49 downwardly and causes it to wedge in the boss 48 and prevent rotation of the bowl 350 and the clearer roller I00. In the modification shown in Figs. 13 and 14 the bowl 350 is dispensed with and the ball 49d acts directly upon the axle 34d.

Again, instead of the wedging action being effected by a ball, a wedge-shaped plunger may be employed. Such constructions are shown in Figs. 15, 16 and 1'7, 18 in which parts corresponding to those in Figs. 1 to 6 and Figs. 11 to 14 are indicated by the same reference characters distinguished by the addition of the exponents e and f, respectively. Figs. 15 and 16 show a springinfluenced wedge-shaped dog 52 adapted to press against a bowl 35c. Figs. 17 and 18 show a spring-influenced wedge-shaped dog 52f pressing directly against the axle 34 of the clearer roller I01.

The provision of the extensions l1 forming handles at the rear ends of the bearer arms facilitates the raising of the clearer for cleaning purposes and ensures that the hands of the operator are not placed in a dangerous position, as may be the case with the ordinary construction of bearer arms, thereby minimizing the risk of injury to an operator raising the clearer for any purpose, for example, to clear said clearer of accumulated fly.

In this connection reference will be made to Fig. 2 which shows in full lines the position of the clearer when it is first drawn back by the operator by means of the handles I1 until the pivot pin 33 is engaged in the extension 32 in the slot 3| and in dot-and-dash lines the position of the clearer when it is tilted about the 75.

pivot 33 to bring the clearer roller I 0 into convenient position for clearing, the handles ll meeting against the levers 26 retain the clearer in this position and leave the operators hands free during the cleaning operation.

The provision of theextensions or fingers H3 at the forward ends of the bearer arms ensures that the clearer roller shall not fall too far between the two top detaching rollers when said rollers are in their most widely separated position.

In this connection reference'will be made to Fig. 4 which shows the clearer roller partly withdrawn and also shows the extension l6 resting on the arbor of the top detaching roller l8, thus preventing the clearer from falling too far down between the said roller is and the second top detaching roller l9. In this position backward movement of the detaching roller l8, towards the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, would cause the extension l6, by reason of its cam-surfaced under part, to ride up the aforesaid roller I8 and so raise the clearer roller In to correct working position.

Without the extension IS the clearer roller might fall too far between the top detaching rollers l8 and I9.

Although the description of the improved clearer has so far only referred to its application to a combing machine it is to be understood that the improved clearer may be applied to other textile machines.

What is claimed is:

1. A revolving clearer for textile combing machines having a detaching roller, including a pair of co-axially pivoted bearer arms, a covered clearer roller element adapted to engage the detaching roller of the combing machine to remove waste fibers and having an axle element rotatably mounted in said arms, one of said elements presenting a continuous surface of revolution, and loaded one-way acting frictional means sustained by at least one of said arms and engageable with said surface of revolution, said frictional means acting to impose frictional resistance to rotary movement of said clearer roller element in one direction and to permit silent rotation of said clearer roller element in the opposite direction.

2. A revolving clearer as claimed in claim 1 including a bowl fast on one end portion of the axle element and presenting a surface of revolution, and a spring-influenced dog mounted on one of said bearer arms and having a cam face engageable with said surface of revolution and adapted to resist rotary movement of the clearer roller element in one direction.

3. A revolving clearer as claimed in claim 1 in which each bearer arm is provided with an extension to serve as a handle, said extension being adapted to engage an abutment in out-ofuse position of the clearer.

4. A revolving clearer as claimed in claim 1 in which each bearer arm is formed with an extension engageable with the arbor of the detaching roller to prevent excessive falling movement of the clearer roller element.

5. A revolving clearer as claimed in claim 1 in which the frictional means comprises a springinfluenced ball.

6. A revolving clearer as claimed in claim 1 in which the frictional means comprises a springinfluenced plunger.

DONALD PIERREPONT. 

